


A Diamond in the Rough

by Lyrac



Category: Aladdin (2019)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Eventual Romance, Insomnia, M/M, Romance, Sex, Symptoms of Depression, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:27:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26632843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyrac/pseuds/Lyrac
Summary: Jafar grows more frustrated about finding the right person to enter the cave of wonders by the day and decides to take matters into his own hands after the reoccurance of some unpleasant memories.He finds someone and decides the lamp can wait for another night - he really needs something to take his mind off things and this handsome young lad in front of him might just be what can accomplish that ;)The story takes place before the events of the movie.
Kudos: 13





	A Diamond in the Rough

**POV – Jafar**

For as long as he could remember, Jafar‘d had to take care of himself alone. His mother died during his birth and to his father he was just another mouth to feed. So he had no other choice than to learn how to get by on his own. His father hadn’t missed any occasion to remind him of what he thought of his son’s upbringing - _if you coddle your kids they will grow up weak_.

Whenever Jafar brought home his loot of the day, it would all be taken away from him. Not one piece he was left to have for himself. Sometimes, when he tried to steal from his father’s bag, he’d get caught and beaten, and then thrown out in the streets to spend the night there.

That’s when certain figures approached him, men who promised him food and warmth and money. All he had to do was to go with them. And Jafar did, for he was hungry and alone. They took good care of him, had him eat and drink. Sometimes, they wanted something in return, however. Something Jafar would reluctantly give, after being coaxed into a false sense of security by insistent voices.

He didn’t like it at first, and felt dirty afterwards. But the more it happened, the more the boy came to realize that maybe it mustn’t be so bad. The men cared about him, after all. They liked him and showed their affection using words, gestures, little touches. It was what he was craving, what he didn’t get at home. So they’d have to suffice he decided, and they did. And of course, there was the money. He always left their homes with a few coins jingling in his pockets. In the early morning hours, the boy snuck through the waking streets of Agrabah, unseen and unheard by passing strangers.

One morning, however, Jafar didn’t manage to go unnoticed. A hard shove, a leg in his way and the boy found himself on the hard ground. Looking up, he recognized a group of street rats – kids like him, orphans and thieves. Jafar recognized one of them, Raheem. As for the others – he knew their faces but that was about it. The three boys were a few years older than him, not the kind of people he hung around. Jafar wanted to get up but was roughly pushed back down by Raheem – their leader, he supposed. Still more of a child than a man, the boy moved closer, a mocking grin on his stubbly face.

„If it isn’t little Jafar, didn’t expect you here at this time. Don’t you know better than to enter my territory?“, he asked with a threathing tone. Jafar shook his head, raising apologetic hands.

„I was just passing through, I-“

He didn’t get any further, as Raheem’s attention was caught by something shiny on the ground. As he went to pick it up, Jafar realized he must’ve dropped some coins as he fell.

„Hey, those are mine!“, he exclaimed.

„Oh really? I doubt that“, the street rat huffed and kicked Jafar’s hand just as he was reaching for another coin. „Where would a little tot like you get this from other than steal them?“

„I earned them! Those belong to me!“

„Yeah? And where would that be? If there’s so much for you, I’m sure there’ll be enough for us as well, right boys?“, the other asked and Jafar realized his mistake. He shouldn’t have said anything, they’d just ask more questions now, he thought in panic.

„Nowhere“, was his simple answer.

Raheem grabbed his lapels and in an instant Jafar was on his feet again, back pressed against the wall. The other’s face was only inches away.

„Where’d you get this, rat?“, Raheem asked again, as his cronies were closing in on Jafar as well. The younger boy kept his mouth shut, determined not to let them in on his secret.

„He smells awfully clean, don’t you think?“, the right teen noticed suddenly and Jafar tensed up. He often got to take a bath before laying with the richer men, this time was no difference.

„Yeah, right“, mused Raheem and eyed him up and down. „Who’d you get yourself that clean for, boy?“, he asked. Jafar merely shook his head but the glint in the other’s eyes gave away that he knew the answer to his own question already. With a grunt, he took his hands off the younger boy and spat on the ground before him. „Get out of my territory, you disgust me.“

With that, Jafar was shoved out into the main street, colliding with something. Or rather, someone, as he was to find out a moment later when he was grabbed by his hair and forced to look into an angry face.

„Can’t you see where you’re going?“

The man turned out to be a guard to the sultan’s palace, evident by the uniform he was wearing.

„Sorry-“, Jafar mumbled, tears welling in his eyes from the pain of being held up by his hair. His hands were at the guard’s wrist, trying to take off some pressure. Then, so quickly he couldn’t even react, the boy was forcefully pushed away, hitting the dirty ground again after another hard kick.

"Know your place, filthy street rat!", the guard spat at him in disgust and walked away, leaving Jafar behind. Once again, the boy found himself surrounded by a sea of strangers in which no one stopped or seemed to notice him.

\-----

A memory. A distant memory, that’s all it was. That’s what Jafar told himself at night, anyways. When he couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning in the pompous bed located in his chambers. Just like this night, and so many others before. It was no coincidence, however. The sultan had angrily put him into his place earlier today during their meeting. „ _Remember your place, Jafar_ “, he told him, in front of half of the palace watch. Jafar’s cheeks had burned up in embarassment, he’d had difficulty keeping his temper. But he managed to swallow his anger down, only for it to turn against him now that he was alone and didn’t have to wear a mask.

Sitting up in his bed, he glanced around the room. He had so much here, and yet it still didn’t feel enough. All these treasures and splendor, nothing but crumbling facades. All the servants and harem girls – or boys, it really didn’t matter – he could have with the tiniest wave of his finger, their touch never actually reached him. All these pleasures were but a fleeting sensation, never giving him what he craved most. Something to fill the emptiness deep inside him. The validation of being enough.

He tossed a glance towards the balcony. Iago was asleep, his beak tightly nestled into his vibrant feathers. Jafar sighed. With a swift movement he was on his feet, walking over to a desk, heavily loaded and almost hidden beneath a vast amount of books. One of them seemed to call to him, his fingers reaching for yellowed pages. The Cave of Wonders, it read, accompanied by a drawing of an imposant cave resembling the shape of a lion’s head. It was said to hold unimaginable amounts of wealth, yet there was only one thing Jafar desired from the magical place. A simple oil lamp.

Only a so-called diamond in the rough could enter the cave and obtain it for him, however, none of Jafar’s trials had been successful yet. For months he’d been sending out his guards to find street urchins and the scum of Agrabah to take them to the entry, all to no avail. It was like looking for a needle in the haystack, only that the vizier started doubting the existence of the damn needle in the first place.

With a loud thud, Jafar closed the book. Iago grumbled something unintelligible but didn’t wake up. Jafar threw on a plain hooded robe and reached for his staff. It seemed it was time for him to comb through the streets himself, and maybe he’d be lucky enough to find his diamond.

\-----

After a lonely walk through the palace quarters, Jafar neared the part of the city he was looking for. Dirty streets, the smell of waste and offal filling the air, dark figures at every corner. _How good to be home_ , he bitterly thought. Ducking into a side street, Jafar moved steadily further away from the palace.

For a while all he saw was beggars and thieves, sometimes people getting home late. Young men stood beneath shady lanterns, beckoning him closer with seductive grins. Some of them were bolder and grabbed his hand, trying to pull him closer. Some others reached right in between his legs and he just shoved them away. That’s not what he was here for. Their irreverence amused Jafar. If only they knew who they were trying to lure in.

So he walked on, ignoring the advances. Still glancing around, he was looking for one of the more _undemonstrative_ boys – a diamond in the rough must be harder to find than whatever junk swam on top, presenting itself.

When he already wanted to turn around and return to his quarters empty-handed, Jafar stopped in his tracks. He sensed something, a disturbance just a few corners down the street. He pulled his hood lower and moved towards the origin. That’s when he saw two men in a narrow alleyway, one of them clearly not enjoying the talk they were having.

„I got no money, I swear“, Jafar heard the younger. The other man didn’t seem to care much because he pulled a small dagger out of his pocket, threatening his victim.

How often had he been in a similar situation, the vizier thought. Jafar grabbed his staff tighter and focused his mind. His eyes turned from their usual dark to an amber shade as his magic slithered towards the robber, whose voice had been oddly familiar.

**POV – Nabil**

Nabil had known it, it’d been a bad idea to take this route. But he took it and now he was stuck here in this unfortunate predicament. His mind was racing – should he try to fight or just hand over the little money he had? It’d been a long night and it wasn’t much to begin with, so Nabil really didn’t appreciate the thought of giving it away.

He didn’t have time to come to a decision, however, as he noticed a sudden change of posture in his opponent. The man seemed as if frozen and his eyes turned to a weird amber colour. _What the hell was that_ , Nabil thought to himself and jumped when he heard a voice in the dark.

„I suggest you take your leave now, Raheem.“

A cloaked figure stepped into the lights, carrying an ornate staff adorned with a cobra’s head.

_Raheem? So they knew each other?_

Nabil cursed as he couldn’t see the stranger’s face beneath the hood. The robber turned towards the figure as well but found himself on his knees with a flick of the staff. As the stranger moved closer, recognition gathered on Raheem‘s face – from his low position he probably saw more of the other man than Nabil did.

„You?“, Raheem pressed through grit teeth. „Judging from your looks you must’ve had some luck with your clients.“

A high pitched chuckle was the answer. The sound sent a shiver down Nabil’s spine.

„Still mugging people in dark alleyways, I see“, the stranger said, his voice smooth like honey now. „I didn’t expect anything else from scum like you, to be quite honest.“

Another movement of the staff and all Raheem could contribute was a pained grunt. _What did I get myself into_ , Nabil thought to himself, still wishing he could catch at least a glimpse of the stranger’s face. But all he could detect was a shiny set of teeth within a dark beard, no chance to see the man’s eyes.

Raheem coughed. „You were born in this same gutter, don’t you think-“

An unhinged smile appeared on the stranger’s face and the robber’s voice drowned out, as if being choked. Nabil took a step back, unable, however, to run away.

Whatever kind of magic the stranger was using on Raheem, he seemed to intensify it, as the other’s reddened face distortet to an ugly grimace. Spit made its way down Raheem’s chin and the magician seemed both satisfied and revolted by the sight. With a smug grin, he leaned forward.

„You disgust me, Raheem. Time to meet your end.“

With that, the body sunk to the floor and hit the ground with a soft thud. The magician stood up straight, posture utterly complacent. Nabil’s heart raced in light of what he just witnessed, yet he felt strangely drawn in by the man.

„Thank you“, the young man mumbled without a thought. „If there’s anything I can do to-“

„Just follow me“, the stranger said, his voice firm. Nabil did as he was told and the two of them strolled through the city, towards the more presentable parts of Agrabah. Nabil had never been that close to the palace before and the boy was curious to see how this night would unfold.

**POV – Jafar**

Once inside his chambers, Jafar ordered the boy to sit with a small gesture of his hand. He still felt giddy from what happened earlier. How lucky was he to run into that scum Raheem on his tour? And now he’d been able to rid himself of his existence, a fair price for how he was treated years ago, Jafar mused. The vizier took a deep breath to shake off the electricity of his victory – he needed to focus now.

He turned to his guest and was finally able to get a good look at him in the light. A handsome young man with shortish hair and a stubbly beard stood – he hadn’t sat down, Jafar noticed – in front of him. In his mid twenties, probably, athletic build. Too bad they wouldn’t have much time.

„What’s your name?“, Jafar asked. Some easy conversation for the beginning to have him feel safe.

„I- Nabil“, the younger spoke. Jafar nodded and pulled off his hood. His guest’s eyes widened in awe and he quickly shuffled to manage a sloppy bow.

The vizier smirked. „Good to see you already know who you’re dealing with.“

„My vizier, to what do I owe that honour?“

Jafar raised a brow. He didn’t expect him to be that well spoken. „Have a seat, will you“, he repeated, his tone tolerating no contradiction. From the corner of his eyes Jafar registered Nabil sitting down on one of the sofas, looking rather awkward. Now he decided to take his time and have some fun with his guest.

As Jafar dropped the plain robe to put on something more befitting instead, he felt the other’s eyes lingering on his back. A small grin crept up on his face – maybe the cave really could wait till tomorrow.

„I need you to do something for me“, he then said and turned around, only wearing a pair of trousers now. Nabil seemed to struggle to direct his eyes back at Jafar’s face, which sent a pleasant wave of heat down the vizier’s spine.

„Anything“, his guest breathed.

Jafar took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them. Nabil’s hands immediately moved to work open Jafar‘s trousers and he grinned up at the older man, before focusing at the task at hand again. The vizier raked his fingers through his guest‘s hair, forcing him to look at him and demanding his whole attention with a cold smile.

„I need you to enter a cave for me, boy.“

Nabil looked a little puzzled and Jafar wondered if he hadn’t been clear enough.

„That’s not what I usually do but we can make it work“, Nabil explained and now it was Jafar’s brows that furrowed in confusion. Then it hit him and he snorted dryly. „That’s not what I meant.“

„Oh. Well in that case…“

He felt Nabil’s hands at his waist again and let go of his hair. As the other man tenderly kissed the skin beneath his navel, Jafar closed his eyes and decided that the cave definitely could wait till tomorrow.

\-----

With a low grunt, Jafar’s hips stalled to a halt. Panting heavily, he swiped the sweat off his brow and pulled out of the younger man. _What’s the point_ , he thought. He was bored, unfocused and so incredibly tired. Without another glance at Nabil, Jafar put on a pair of trousers and shuffled over to the balcony. A wave of fresh air hit him and bristled over his skin. Jafar leaned against the railing, eyes wandering the city beneath him. Agrabah at night was truly a sight to behold and yet his thoughts once again spun around the cave and the lamp hidden within. The vizier exhaled heavily. What was he doing?

Jafar didn’t jump when he felt a light touch at his forearm but he was definitely surprised at the sneakiness of his guest - he was very quiet, even for a street rat.

"What’s wrong?", Nabil asked, fingers ghosting over a birthmark on the vizier’s arm.

"Nothing", Jafar huffed.

"Did you not enjoy it?"

The vizier rolled his eyes in frustration. "I’m not doing this right now."

A moment of silence hung between them and Jafar deemed the conversation finished only to be taught better the next instant.

"You look tired."

"That’s none of your-", he snapped, turning his back to the boy. He didn’t want Nabil to know how right he was. Jafar took a deep breath, regaining his composure. "I am. But that’s none of your business."

"Why not? I can make you feel better." Jafar felt a hand at the small of his back. "I’ll make sure you’ll sleep well tonight, I-"

"Don’t touch me", the vizier interrupted sharply, hissing through grit teeth and waving a threatening finger at Nabil’s face.

In an all too familiar gesture, the boy raised his hands. „I didn’t mean to offend you, I apologize. It wasn’t my place to suggest anything.“

How well spoken he was, Jafar thought once again, his shoulders drooping. It made him physically sick to know that what he was doing was basically the same the men of his own childhood had done to him. Use him for their own pleasure and afterwards simply disregard him.

The vizier took a step back, his mind was racing. Wasn’t that what he did to all his visitors, anyways? Why would this one be any different? Jafar felt a throbbing headache creep up the back of his head.

If he really only wanted him for the cave then why didn’t he just throw him in the dungeon till the next day? Jafar was angry with himself. He felt connected to the boy in more than one way, he realized, because of their similar experiences. He wasn’t weak, he didn’t want to be. He was the damn vizier of Agrabah, he couldn’t afford to show weakness. And yet, here he was, in his chambers accompanied by that boy, not knowing what to-

He didn’t get any further before feeling a warm hand on his temple and soft eyes examining his expression.

„Why don’t you just let go off all of this for one night? No duties, no plotting, no pressure“, Nabil whispered. „We don’t have to finish. Just get some rest, hm?“

What harm could it do? And Iago would have an eye on their visitor, he was sure. Jafar’s self discipline and resolution not to show weakness grew fainter by the minute and he felt how he was starting to let his guard down. He probably should’ve been alarmed by how good that felt but he was way too tired. The vizier let Nabil grab his hand and lead him back to the bed, where he heavily sunk into the pillows. He curled up in a ball and felt fingers lightly massage the top of his head, eyes growing heavy with sleep. After barely a minute, Jafar drifted off to the conviction that he must’ve found his diamond in the rough.


End file.
